Committee advances ordinance creating a Cuyahoga County building department, setting up certified inspection services for municipalities

Cuyahoga County’s Committee of the Whole advanced an ordinance (read into the record at the hearing) to create a county building department that would exercise enforcement authority under the state Board of Building Standards and provide plan review, permitting and inspections for participating municipalities.

Dawn Ford, the county’s appraisal permit coordinator and the primary presenter, said 66 of Ohio’s 88 counties already operate a county building department and argued the office would reduce municipalities’ reliance on third-party firms and improve consistency in permitting and property records. Ford described three core positions the department would hire: a county building official (a registered architect or professional engineer meeting state certification levels), building inspectors and permit technicians. She said the administration’s startup plan would use Real Estate Assessment fund dollars to cover initial costs, and that the department is intended to be revenue neutral with fee schedules set to cover operating costs. Ford said the county has budgeted approximately $1,000,000 in startup costs to stand up the department and aims for the department to be fully operational by Jan. 1, 2027.

Council members pressed on scope and governance: whether the department would cover both residential and nonresidential projects (Ford: yes), whether municipalities would retain zoning, planning and housing code enforcement (Ford: municipalities retain those police/policy functions), how municipalities would opt in (Ford: municipalities would have to pass local legislation to become a subdepartment or otherwise contract in), and whether fees would be set by the county or negotiated (Ford: fee schedule established by county to ensure revenue neutrality). Administration staff said the department was placed under the fiscal officer because the work is tied to property appraisal records and revenue flows.

A number of council members voiced caution about startup funding and asked for a written plan to ensure REA funds are repaid if the county expects to recoup startup dollars. Ford and administration staff said they would return with certification materials and a budget to the council after the department is created. The committee voted to refer the ordinance with a favorable recommendation to the full council for second reading.

Next steps: the administration will bring the ordinance to the full council for second reading; certification with the Ohio Board of Building Standards will follow once required staff are in place.